discovered so many wonderful new things: delicious food, pretty things she’d never seen before, wonderful musicians and entertainers. The Elai palace was going to seem ordinary and boring in comparison, but she missed her father, Teiti, and the guards and children she played with.
Imenja moved away from the servants, who were now carefully folding the tent, and crossed the courtyard to Imi’s side.
“Are you ready?”
Imi nodded. “Yes.”
“You have all your belongings?”
Looking down, Imi pointed at the small box near her feet. Inside were the presents Imenja and Nekaun had given her. “I put them in there.” She bent to pick it up, but Imenja put out a hand to stop her.
“No, you are a princess. You should not have to carry your own luggage.” She looked up at Reivan, who smiled and bent to pick up the box. How Reivan understood what Imenja wanted, Imi could not guess. Sometimes she wondered if they had some silent code of gestures that they communicated with.
Imenja turned to a nearby door. “Let us depart.”
Many corridors and staircases followed. Most led downhill, to Imi’s relief. Though she was much stronger now, she still tired easily. They passed through a large courtyard and entered a hall full of black-robed men and women. Through the arches of the far wall she could see many landwalker houses beyond. She could hear voices - many, many voices. There must be a large crowd outside.
She dragged her attention away. A familiar man in black robes stepped forward to meet her.
“Princess Imi,” Nekaun said. “It has been an honor to have you in our Sanctuary.”
She swallowed and thought quickly. “First Voice of the Gods, Nekaun. I thank you for your hospitality and for rescuing me.”
He smiled, his eyes sparkling, and without looking away beckoned to the people behind him. Two men stepped forward carrying a large chest between them. They set it down beside her, then stepped back.
“This is a gift for your father,” Nekaun told her. “Will you accept it on his behalf?”
“I will,” she said, looking at the chest and wondering what was inside. “I will make sure he gets it.”
Nekaun gestured at the chest. Imi blinked as the lid opened by itself.
She forgot all else as she saw what was inside. Gold cups and pitchers; fine, brightly colored cloth; jars of the sweet dried fruits she had grown to love; and beautiful glass bottles that, judging from the smells coming from the chest, were full of perfume.
“Thank you!” she breathed. She turned back to Nekaun and straightened her back. “I accept and thank you on behalf of King Ais of Elai.”
He nodded formally. “May your journey home be swift, the seas gentle and the weather fine. May the gods guard and protect you.” He moved his hands over his chest, tracing the pattern Imenja called a “star,” and the rest of the Pentadrians followed suit. “Farewell, Princess Imi. I hope to meet you again.”
“And I you,” she replied.
He gestured to the two men, who picked up the chest. “I will escort you to the litters.”
With Nekaun walking on one side and Imenja on the other, she moved toward the arched openings. As they stepped out of the building she caught her breath.
A wide staircase led down to a mass of people. They crowded between the houses, an endless sea of faces. As Nekaun, Imenja and Imi emerged, the people shouted and waved their arms, their combined voices a roar that was both thrilling and frightening. She had never seen so many people in one place before.
Imi hesitated, then made herself continue down the stairs. At the bottom, bare-chested landwalkers stood beside a glittering platform covered with cushions. Imenja smiled at Imi and ushered her onto the platform. As she lowered herself onto the cushions, Imi followed suit. Nekaun remained on the stairs.
The bare-chested men bent to take hold of poles jutting out from the sides of the platform. Another man barked an order and the platform rose. Imi clutched at the sides. Though the men moved smoothly and steadily she could not help feeling uneasy about being carried so far off the ground.
Now two columns of black-robed men and women descended the stairs and walked past the platform on either side. The crowd parted to allow the men to carry Imenja and Imi down the road. Imi looked back at Nekaun, who raised a hand in farewell.
As she began to lift her hand in reply a flurry of bright objects burst around her. She flinched, then laughed in delight as a shower of flower petals landed on the platform.
“Do they always do this?” she asked as more petals fluttered around her.
“It depends on the event,” Imenja replied. “People tend to gather here when they know there’s a chance of seeing one of the Voices, especially Nekaun. We don’t get flowers, however. They are in your honor.”
“Why?” Imi asked, flattered and amazed.
“You are a princess. It is a tradition to make a fuss of royalty. In times past, a monarch and his family were expected to throw coin in return, but that tradition ended when the last Avven king died almost a century ago.”
“You do not have a king?”
Imenja shook her head. “Not since then. That king had no heirs, and the people chose to be ruled by the Voices instead. We also rule Mur, to the north, through a Dedicated Servant that the local Servants elect. In Dekkar, which lies south of here, the people still follow a High Chieftain - though his successor is chosen by the gods, not by direct lineage.”
“How do the gods tell the people which man they’ve chosen?”
“The candidates must undergo tests of skill, education and leadership. The one who passes all the tests becomes High Chieftain.”
“So the gods make sure the one they like passes.”
Imenja nodded. “Yes.”
“I wonder why I never thought to ask about this before,” Imi said. “They seem like things a princess should know. I guess I’m not a good princess.”
“You are a wonderful princess,” Imenja told her, smiling. “You haven’t been taught to ask these sorts of questions because your father never expected you to need to.”
Imi grimaced as she thought of her father. “He’s going to be so angry with me.”
Imenja’s smile widened. “Why?”
“Because I broke rules and got myself into trouble.”
“I don’t think he’ll care about that at all. When he sees you he’ll just be happy to have you back.”
Imi sighed. “I’ll be happy to be home. I don’t care if I have to stay in my room or take extra lessons for a year, I’ll never break a rule again.”
The platform turned. Imi saw that they were being carried into a different street. In the distance she could see the sea and the tiny shapes of ships. Another shower of petals fluttered around her and she felt her heart lighten.
Speaker Veece walked out of the bower as Auraya landed.
“Thank you, Auraya of the White,” he said, as she handed him skins of water and baskets filled with fruit, cold meat and bread.
She smiled. “We can’t have you dying of starvation after all the work we put in.” Bright, dappled sunlight covered the platform and bower, making it hard to see inside the dim interior. “How is everyone?”
“Well. Wilar says we are all cured. We must wait until the rest of the village has recovered before we venture out, and we must stay in the village and avoid all visitors until the disease is gone from Si.”
“He’s right.” She grimaced. “It is hard to be patient, but you can be sure that if any of you catch this disease again it will kill you. You have to be cautious, especially of visitors.”
He sighed and nodded. “We will be. We do not want your efforts to go to waste, as you said earlier.” Moving to the edge of the platform, he looked out at the other bowers. “You have saved us, you and Wilar. We owe you a
